The Development of an Operant Conditioning Training Program for New World Primates at the Bronx Zoo
This article describes the development of an operant conditioning training program for 17 species of New World primates at the Bronx Zoo. To apply less invasive techniques to husbandry protocols, the study introduced behaviors-hand feeding, syringe feeding, targeting, scale and crate training, and transponder reading-for formal training to 86 callitrichids and small-bodied cebids housed in […]
Factors affecting reproduction in zoo-housed geoffroy’s tamarins(Saguinus geoffroyi)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10099.abs The captive population of Geoffroy’s tamarins (Saguinus geoffroyi) has suffered a severe decline over the past 10 years. This population decline is attributed not to a failure to produce offspring, but rather to a failure to successfully rear offspring. To date, no studies have quantitatively examined the behaviors and hormones of this tamarin […]
Brief threatening events beneficial for captive tamarins?
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430090403.abs To evaluate speculation indirectly suggesting that brief arousal may be beneficial to animals, 39 cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) living in 4 large families were observed (a) after normal husbandry procedures that excite them (capture and brief removal of infants or older monkeys), (b) after exposure to an over-flying bird model, and (c) compared […]
Feeding Gum Arabic to New World Monkeys: Species Differences and Palatability
Members of the New World primate genera Callithrix and Cebuella have specialisations for eating plant exudates. Exudates are also an important component of the diets of many other callitrichid species in the wild, especially at times of nutritional stress. Gum arabic is fed daily to all marmosets and to some tamarins in Jersey Zoo’s collection. […]
The humane control of captive marmoset and tamarin populations
In zoo and laboratory colonies of marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae) there has been an increasing need to adopt breeding control methods. In zoos, this need has been driven by a growth in populations. In laboratories, increased interest in control options has followed from the requirement to improve welfare by housing potential breeding animals together. Progestagen-containing […]
Effect of colour vision status on insect prey capture efficiency of captive and wild tamarins (Saguinus spp.)
The colour vision polymorphism of most New World primates is a model system to study the function of colour vision. Theories for the evolution of primate trichromacy focus on the efficient detection and selection of ripe fruits and young leaves among mature leaves, when trichromats are likely to be better than dichromats. We examined whether […]